Tag: Refugees Welcome

On January 29, 2017, a group of Muslims were praying in a mosque at the Quebec Islamic Cultural Centre when a gunman opened fire, killing six people and injuring more.

On Saturday, Feb. 4, Fredericton will join actions across the country that will express our grief and solidarity with the victims of this horrific act of violence committed at the Quebec mosque.

We will take a stand for:

(1) More humane immigration and refugee polices in Canada, the U.S. and worldwide. We must demand that the Canadian government remove caps and restrictions on refugees entering the country and scrap the Safe Third Country Agreement and the Designated Country of Origin list, which stops people from seeking asylum in Canada. We must end immigration detention and deportations.

(2) The elimination of all federal legislation that attacks racialized Black and Brown Muslims and refugees, including the Zero Tolerance for Barbaric Cultural Practices Act and the anti-terror legislation such as Security Certificates and Bill C-51.

(3) No walls and bans against Muslims and refugees on stolen Indigenous lands! We affirm our solidarity with the Wolastoq people on whose lands we reside on.

There will also be a sign and poster-making event on THURSDAY at 6:00pm at the Bibliothèque publique de Fredericton/ Fredericton Public Library (12 Carleton St.). There will be some paint and poles (for a large fabric banner) but please bring all the other materials you will need. We suggest Bristol board, foam boards, wood handles (for the signs), glue, markers, glitter, stickers, etc.

Community members will be circulating a letter from the Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA) outside MP Matt Decourcey’s office on February 1st at 12:00pm asking the government of Canada to act on the US Travel Ban

My name is [NAME] and I live in [CONSTITUENCY].
I am writing because I am deeply concerned about the recent US travel ban, including both its impact on Canadians and immigrants and refugees worldwide.

I join the Canadian Civil Liberties Association in calling on the Canadian government to take the following steps to honour its constitutional, legal and international law obligations immediately:
Suspend the Canada-U.S. Safe Third Country Agreement, which prevents asylum-seekers travelling from the US from claiming refugee status in Canada, unless they qualify for the limited exception under the agreement.

Put in place procedures to efficiently process applications from all asylum seekers from countries affected by the ban who are in the United States and wish to seek refuge in Canada.
Increase the number of refugees accepted by Canada in 2017 to accommodate individuals from countries currently affected by the U.S. ban, and in particular raise the cap recently imposed on refugees from Syria and Iraq.

Ensure Canadian airlines and other commercial enterprises do not collude with a foreign domestic order – and refuse boarding passes to immigrants, dual citizens, refugees and asylum seekers ̶ that discriminates on the basis of country of origin, ethnic origin, or religious belief.

Ensure clear guidelines are provided by Canada and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to all consular officials to assist any Canadians from the U.S. ban-listed countries who are overseas and find themselves stranded, detained, or otherwise prevented from returning to Canada.

Review the impact of all information sharing agreements with the United States, including, but not limited to the Security Canada Information Sharing Act introduced by Bill C-51; the information sharing agreements pursuant to the Canada-U.S. Security Perimeter Agreement; and the particular impact of Canadian national security agencies including the Canadian Border Security Agency sharing information with U.S. agencies. Canada must ensure that innocent persons are not put at risk by information provided by Canada.

Review the implementation of the U.S. International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITARS), which has been used on several occasions by Canadian companies to unlawfully discriminate against individuals lawfully in Canada on the basis of their country of origin or contacts to a foreign country.

Provide immediate assistance for any individuals who may be stranded at Canadian airports, bus and train stations as a result of the ban, including those who anticipate being denied entry on arrival to the United States and those who have been turned away by U.S. Customs and Border Protection preclearance.
As your constituent, I would like to be notified as soon as possible of the steps you, your office and the Canadian government are taking to protect the rights of immigrants and refugees.

We last met on April 4, 2017, hand-delivering a letter to you about our concerns related to Canada’s immigration policies. Refugees Welcome Fredericton is now a working group of No One Is Illegal Fredericton. No One Is Illegal is an organization that exists in other cities across Canada and is devoted to issues associated with migrant justice.

Since we spoke with you on that chilly April day outside your office, a number of developments have taken place. Over the course of 2016, there were three hunger strikes by immigration detainees in Lindsay and Toronto, Ontario detention centres, the largest taking place in July 2016, when over 50 detainees refused food. Detainees opposed indefinite detention, the fact that immigration detainees can be detained with no charges, and the conditions they endure while detained. Since 2000, fifteen people have died while in Canadian immigration detention; three people in 2016 alone.

The brave actions of those on hunger strike drew public, activist, and media attention to the continuing treatment of immigration detainees within Canada. Disappointingly, the federal government’s response to these actions was the announcement of an additional $138 million for new or existing detention facilities in Quebec and British Columbia. The response ignored the significant and troubling issues brought forward by immigration detainees and their supporters.

Given that the conditions associated with immigration detention in Canada are deeply troubling, we believe that it is important that the government first consider all alternatives to immigration detention. Through the current system, immigration detainees are jailed for weeks, months or even many years due to flaws with their identification, their status as “irregular arrivals” or simply put in prison as a secure holding place where they await deportation. Detention should be a last resort or a response to exceptional circumstances, not public policy. This sort of action runs counter to Canada’s treatment of Canadian citizens or permanent residents. We believe that the government needs to weigh concerns regarding the deprivation of individual liberty for little (or no) gain. At its core, this treatment runs counter to the spirit of Canadian multicultural policy, social justice and is both fundamentally discriminatory and racist.

No One is Illegal Fredericton echoes the following changes demanded by immigration detainees and their supporters across the country:

An end to arbitrary and indefinite detention: If removal cannot happen within 90 days, immigration detainees must be released. Limits on detention periods are recommended by the United Nations, and are the law in the United States and the European Union.

Release all migrant detainees who have been held for longer than 90 days .

No maximum security holds: Immigration detainees should not be held in maximum security provincial jails; must have access to basic services and be close to family members.

We understand that the government is reviewing the immigrant detention process. We would like to know the status of this review and ask that you support calls to end the inhumane detentions of immigrants and refugees.

We appreciate a response to our concerns by February 1, 2017, and will gladly meet with you to further discuss these urgent matters.

Sincerely,

Asaf Rashid, Kristi Allain, Tracy Glynn (and the rest of the No One Is Illegal – Fredericton Collective)